The Thing About Austin & Ally
by DreamerLove15
Summary: "They're the perfect match." In which the cast (and the narrator, which would be me) analyzes Austin & Ally as a whole. They're just characters, but what happens when an interviewer with a plan hopes to change all of that just to push Laura and Ross together? After all... that's the thing about Austin & Ally. Picture provided by some lovely person on Tumblr.
1. Chapter 1: The Thing About Austin & Ally

**The Thing About Austin & Ally**

**** You see, the thing about Austin & Ally is that they are so unexpected that it is predictable that they would get together. The thing about Austin & Ally is that they are together all the time, 24/7. They sit together on the piano bench for hours, text one another constantly, see movies, PRACTICE PERFECT DATES, make kick ass music together, and they are- of course - the _best _of friends.

They are the perfect idea.

They are the reason we sit in class, head in hands, wondering: _Why can't I have a relationship like that?_

__The thing about Austin & Ally is that they care for each other. A lot. They are sweet and protective and just _so so so cute _that we can't help but eat it up. Come on. Everyone loves that best-friend-potential-boyfriend-and-girlfriend-relationship stuff. It's _classic. _

The thing about Austin & Ally is that everyone knows they're meant to be together except for them.

"Sometimes the perfect girl is closer than you think," Trish says.

"Me and Ally? Whaaaat?" Austin screeches.

"Achoo!" Trish explodes suddenly, sneezing. Austin looks at her in alarm.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

_Sorry, I'm allergic to bullshit. _"Yeah, I'm fine," she says, giving Austin the biggest smile and pushing away her thoughts.

The thing about Austin & Ally is that they will always be each other's biggest fans. They will always like one another for who they really are, no matter what stupid mistakes they make or what silly flaws they have, Austin & Ally are just... like that. I mean...

_It's Austin & Ally._

The thing about Austin & Ally? Well, you can ask anyone. Ask Trish, ask Dez, ask Ally, ask Austin. They'll say different things because they are different people with different perspectives and different opinions. The thing about Austin & Ally is that they're a team. They're best friends.

And they're the perfect match.


	2. Chapter 2: The Thing About Ally

**The Thing About Ally**

"Okay, and you're on in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..." the camera man said, pointing to Laura. Laura quickly averted her attention to the interviewer and smiled. She always felt a little nervous but excited for interviews. What would they ask? What if she said something stupid that made her sound like an ass? Interviews could either go up or down. For her, they usually went up.

"Hi Laura," the interviewer greeted.

"Hello," she replied, waving to the camera.

"So I just have a few questions for you, a couple are from me and a couple are from the fandom."

"Bring it on!" she laughed, and the interviewer laughed as well.

"Okay, so what is it like to be on Austin & Ally?"

Laura tilted her head in thought. What _was _it like? She would wake up early in the morning, maybe at around 6 am, to review her script while sitting in the make up chair. Then Ross would usually come into her dressing room and crack some silly jokes and she would laugh and...

_Stop it, Laura, _she thought to herself.

"Well," she finally said after a long wait. "Being on the show is definitely so much fun. I've gotten to know some really amazing people, like Ross, Raini, and Calum. And they're all so talented and they're personalities are just so different. Like Raini is the speculative one. She'll overanalyze everything and it'll actually make me stop and actually think about it in her perspective. Calum is probably the strange one. He's got some interesting thoughts rolling around in his brain that not all of us can quite understand but it makes sense, you just need to look at it his way. And Ross..."

_Is perfect, cute, a flirt, and has really brown eyes... oh my god, I need to stop!_

"Yes?" the interviewer asks, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Laura clears her throat, laughing nervously. "Um... well, Ross is... he's... he's great! He's funny, he doesn't like calculus too much but I mean, what can you do right?" Laura shrugs her shoulders, hoping the questions will move away from Ross. Ever since they filmed the... kiss... she'd been getting funny feelings in her stomach around him and she knew _exactly _what kind of feelings they were.

"What do you have in common with your character Ally?" the interviewer asks.

_Ally likes Austin. I like Ross- oh. my. god. STOP IT LAURA! _she thinks, wanting to physically whack herself but not in front of this interviewer and DEFINITELY not in front of this camera.

"I think we can both tend to be awkward and dorky. We both love school, I love learning. We both write songs. I write my own lyrics whenever we're on break from taping or just when something comes to me. I also think that in Season 2, she's finding herself a bit more, and I think right now I'm finding myself as well." Laura breathed. Wow. Since when did she get so personal during interviews? This interviewer was _good. _

"Why do you think people appeal so much to the show?"

_ Okay. An easy question, Laura, breathe. _"I think the reason why people love the show so much is because a lot of people can maybe relate to it. Like, maybe they have a group of friends who are all extremely tight-knit, like Austin, Ally, Trish and Dez. Or maybe it's the music, and that they like the songs or the lyrics. I know on Twitter, there's an entire Auslly fandom-"

"Auslly?" the interviewer asks, when really she's thinking, _There you go, Laura, bring it up..._

Laura stammers. Shoot. "Oh," she waves her hand in the air to dismiss it. "It's funny, actually. There are many people that want Austin & Ally to get together, it's really cute actually. I love the fandom."

"Do you want Austin & Ally to get together?" The interviewer leans in, eager to listen.

"Oh, well you know... I mean, I... I don't know."

"So you don't?"

"No, I mean, yes, well not exactly-"

"So that would be a no?"

"No! I mean, yes!" Laura's head is spinning. She hateshateshates being caught off guard. "Yes, I want them to get together!" Her heart is racing rapidly.

"And why?"

"_Why?_" Laura practically screeches. "Have you seen the way they look at each other? It's one of those obvious but in denial relationships! Ally is shy and sweet and vulnerable but Ross... I mean, Austin! He helps her break out of her shell a little bit and together they make great music _and _make a great couple."

_What did you just say, Laura?! OH MY GOD CLOSE YOUR MOUTH NOW, CLOSE IT AND GO HIDE IN A HOLE. WHAT IF ROSS SEES THIS?! _Laura thinks to herself. Her palms are sweating and she wipes them against her jeans, still trying to appear calm and collected.

"So Austin helps Ally shine brighter?"

Laura breathes a sigh of relief. Simple question. "Yes." Sticking with one worded answers is safer.

"And they're going places, aren't they? Making great music and making the No Ordinary Day song a number one video, right?"

Simple question. "Yes."

"And Ross is a good kisser?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for your time, Laura. You can shut the camera off now, Bill," the interviewer says, immediately leaving. Laura relaxes in her chair. Simple questions, especially the last one. Then she gasps.

_"And Ross is a good kisser?"_

_"Yes."_

_Shit, _she thinks to herself. Then also thinks, _That interviewer is goooood..._


	3. Chapter 3: The Thing About Austin

**The Thing About Austin**

_"And is Ross a good kisser?" _

_"Yes."_

Ross smirked, folding his hands behind his back and leaning against the wall. He paused the video, looking at Laura's face. He began to laugh. She was just so... cute. And busted. It was written all over her face in the video. He pressed play again, just to watch Laura stutter at the camera in disbelief as the interviewer and the cameraman left. He chuckled. He hadn't seen Laura the whole day, except for when they'd had a practice rehearsal for the script, but even then she'd rushed out of the room, avoiding eye contact with him.

She was avoiding him.

That much was clear.

"Ross, someone wants to talk to you," his mother came in, with a lady in glasses and wild brown hair. She looked awfully familiar... "It's just a really quick interview."

"Oh, okay," Ross said, settling down on the couch. A cameraman came in and angled the camera at Ross's face, then giving a thumbs up to signal they were rolling. The lady's voice was strangely deep, as if she had a cold.

"Hi Ross! Just have a few questions here," the interviewer smiled innocently. A little _too _innocently, but Ross shrugged away the thought.

"Cool," he replied, smiling back.

"What exactly is so special about Austin Moon?"

_Such an easy question, _Ross thinks. "Well Austin is this really smooth, really cool guy. And he has this really strong passion for music, so it's that passion that gets him famous and known. He just has this great charisma around him, and he's a nice person and a good friend to Trish and Dez, and especially Ally. I think it's those factors that make Austin a star."

"What is your favorite episode so far that you have filmed for Austin & Ally?" The interviewer sat, poised and ready to pounce. Ross shrank a bit, then remembered that she was just an interviewer. There was nothing to worry about.

"It's actually called Tunes and Trials and it hasn't aired yet, but it was a really fun episode to film," Ross answered, smiling fondly. It had been hard for him to "just act" in that episode because he was enjoying it a little too much. In fact, he'd been enjoying things "a little too much" lately, especially when he was around Laura...

"How about your favorite song?" she asked.

Ross laughs. "It hasn't been shown yet either, but it's called Steal Your Heart. Loved the tune and the beat, so hopefully the viewers will, too."

"If you could dedicate a song to each of your members, what would it be and why?"

_Huh. That's a new one, _Ross thought. What would he dedicate to Raini, to Calum, to...

LAURA?

"Um, well that's a difficult one," Ross laughed, shifting in his seat ever so uneasily. "I guess... well, let's start with Calum!"

_Just relax, Ross, _he thought to himself.

"For Calum, I'd probably pick _Super Bass _by Nicki Minaj."

The interviewer began to laugh hysterically and Ross eased up. See? Nothing to worry about. "And why is that?" she asked. "That is a strange song choice."

"Well, he's always trying to rap along to it and he always fails! So that is like, his failure song. But he fails it good, so yeah."

_God, did that even make sense? _Ross thought for a second, then shrugged.

"And Raini and Laura?" she asked.

_Getting closer to answering for Laura. No big deal._

"For Raini I'd definitely pick _Blonde _by Bridgit Mendler, because she always says these insanely ridiculous things, and then she questions whether she's a blonde. It's hilarious."

_LauraLauraLaura..._

"And then for Laura..." Ross shifted in his seat again. What song should he choose?

"Five seconds," the interviewer said suddenly, looking at her watch.

"Five..." she counted.

"Wait, since when did we start timing-"

"Four..."

"Okay, hold on a sec, let me just-"

"Three..."

"Um...oh! Wait, no..."

"Two..."

"Geez, alright-"

"One..."

"_CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE _BY QUEEN!"he shouted, his breathing uneven.

The interviewer smiled with such grace and poise that Ross just wanted to make sure she wasn't a robot or an evil villain. "Isn't that a romantic song?" she asked.

Ross's smile faded. _Crap, _he thought. _I just picked it because_ _Queen is Laura's favorite. _"Um, well, yeah."

"So you have romantic feelings for Laura?"

"What? No-"

"So you don't? So you would never have romantic feelings for Laura?"

"No! Well, I mean, I'm not sure exactly-"

"So you don't like her."

"Yes," he breathed, glad to see the interviewer understood.

"You hate her."

"What?! No! No, no no, I love Laura! She's amazing and smart and a talented actress and I could never hate her!"

"So you don't hate her."

"Yes.''

"And you're positive?"

"Yes."

"Positively in love with her?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, thank you for your time, Ross," the interviewer says, and he thinks he sees her adjusting her wild brown hair but that can't be. Then that would mean it was a wig.

And then he realizes that he had just admitted to being completely and totally in love with Laura in front of a camera. And then he decides to just hibernate on his couch for the rest of his life.


	4. Chapter 4: The Thing About the Fandom

**The Thing About the Fandom**

"God, Bill, it is so easy to crack these kids, isn't it?" the interviewer sighed, leaning back in her car seat. They had stopped at a gas station, and Bill was filling the tank.

"Only because you're so good at getting them to crack. Just wait until they figure out who you are and what your ridiculous plan is," Bill replied through the open window, rolling his eyes.

"It is not ridiculous to make two kids realize just how in love they are with one another! It is perfectly reasonable!" she yelled, crossing her arms.

Bill shot her a look. "Doris. You are fourty two years old. You are just an interviewer."

She wagged a finger at him. "Bill, Bill, Bill. You should know me well by now. What kind of interviewer am I?"

Bill sighed. "A Cupid interviewer."

"Mhm, and what is a Cupid interviewer's job?"

He sighed once more. "To make the interview-ees fall in love with one another."

She triumphantly smiled. "Yes! Precisely! I am just fulfilling my job. Besides, these kids are already in love with one another, so there's not much work for me to do except make them realize that and confess to each other."

Bill nodded his head. She did have a point.

**OoO**

"Bill, do you have the camera rolling?" Doris asked. Bill nodded, and Doris smiled at the small, adorable four year old girl she had come to interview.

"Hi, sweetie, and what's your name?" Doris asked.

"May," the little girl shyly replied, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Now, can you say to the camera why you love Austin & Ally?"

The little girl looked at her shoes first, then looked up. She smiled, showing the gap where her two front teeth should have been. Adorable. "I love Austin & Ally because... because they are gonna get married!" the little girl exclaimed.

"But how do you know that?" Doris asked.

The little girl then frowned, her tiny hands growing into fists. She looked like she was going to explode. "Because! Because... I am four now and I know lots of stuff! Like how to spell cat, not to touch hot things, and... and Austin and Ally are going to get married because I _said_!"

Bill tried not to chuckle behind the camera so as to not ruin the audio of the video. But she was so cute.

"Alright, thank you sweetie, you can go back to your mommy now," Doris said, and watched the little girl teeter back to her mother. She sighed. "I love my job."

**OoO**

"And, action!"

Doris and Bill faced a group of four, lively squealing teenage girls.

"And why do you girls love Austin & Ally?" Doris asked, already amused at the sight of their t-shirts, which held names like _Auslly _and _Raura_.

"Well, Destiny only loves the show because Ross is hot," a red head girl explained, and Destiny, the brunette, shoved her in the ribs.

"Claire, that's not the entire truth!" Destiny exclaimed, then faced the camera. "I also like the show because of Ross's singing."

"Am I the only one here who loves the show because I want Austin and Ally to hook up already?!" a blonde haired girl yelled. Bill panned the camera to her.

"And what's your name?" Doris asked.

"I'm Sam, the sane one of this group. I love Austin & Ally because they are clearly perfect for one another. It's the classic best friend relationship that us girls fall in love with. And the fact that they're complete opposites just adds to the cuteness scale," Sam explains, shrugging.

_Cuteness scale. Oh, the vocabulary of this fandom, _Doris thinks, smiling softly to herself.

"Georgia, you haven't said anything yet," Sam points out, nudging a girl with her hair in a ponytail. Georgia looks up with a strange glint in her eyes. Bill pans the camera to her, and Georgia instantly freezes, then relaxes by looking at something else _besides _the lens.

"There's something about Austin & Ally. Something about the show, something about the relationship, that appeals to us."

Her voice is so soft and so quiet that Bill and Doris have to move closer just to hear a single word.

"The way Austin looks at Ally sometimes... you can tell that it's not always scripted. Ross and Laura have this significant chemistry that make kids and teens like us hooked to the show. Austin and Ally are those one of a kind, special pairs that meet for a reason. Not only to make music and make an impact on one another's lives, but also to fall in love, to make dumb mistakes and feel things that a textbook can't always teach you."

There is utter complete silence. Georgia looks up with timid eyes and is shocked to find that the interviewer's eyes are shining, and her friends have wobbly smiles on their faces. Even the cameraman looks a little choked up.

"Um... besides that, it's a great show," Georgia says, trying to break the silence. Her friends suddenly encircle her in a group hug. Bill stops filming to wipe his eyes.

"God, this show... has _such _an impact on these kids because of two characters! And the idea of love, even if it hasn't happened yet! Can you believe it?" Doris asks. But Bill doesn't reply. He's too busy noticing how green Doris's eyes are.

**OoO**

Laura sits in her dressing room, contemplating... well... _everything. _Her heart. Her mind.

Does she really like Ross? LIKE-like Ross? And would it be so bad if she did? She was a girl, what was _supposed _to happen after their kiss, even if it _was _for the show? Was she not supposed to develop any feelings for Ross? Laura sighed, burying her face into one of her couch pillows. She hadn't been able to go on her computer or tweet or anything. She'd been too embarrassed and jumbled up inside to look at anything on the internet.

_But maybe you should, _her conscience thought. So she opened up her laptop, avoiding the thousands of views her interview had gotten from people. Then something caught her eye. A video. Of Ross. Getting an interview by a very familiar woman. She clicked on it immediately.

"_And you're positive?" _

_ "Yes."_

_ "Positively in love with Laura?"_

_ "Yeah."_

Laura gawked at the screen, heat flushing onto her pale face, then replayed the moment again.

And again.

And again.

And againandagainandagainandagai nandagain until she couldn't breathe, until her heart was pounding and her cheeks were going to fall off from smiling so much.

_Ross loves ME? _she thought excitedly. _Ross? But he's so... And I'm just not... But he does! _Laura sighed, sinking in the cushions as if she were floating on a cloud. She could do anything right now. She could soar on air, she could do a thousand cartwheels-

_Knock knock. _

Laura looked up, smile fading and heart stopping when she saw Ross standing there. She quickly closed her laptop.

"Ross," she said, smiling. "Hey. What's happenin?" _God Laura, can you be any more uncool! _she thought.

"Hey," he said, smiling, then walking over to sit next to her on the couch. The door was closed. And they were alone. On the couch. And she had just watched a video of him saying that he was in love with her. And now he was sitting next to her. ON THE COUCH.

"So..." she said.

"So... what were you looking at?" Ross asked.

"Oh, just some Instagram pictures," she lied, trying to make it sound smooth and simple.

"Oh, okay good," he sighed in relief. Laura decided to play along.

"Why, is there something I should be looking for?" she asked.

"No!" Ross yelled, making Laura jump. He shot her a sheepish look. "I mean, nope. Nothing's really interesting online these days."

"I know, right?" she responds. Then an electric shock runs through her body as his hand accidentally brushes her.

"Sorry," he mumbles, looking up at her, and it's as if the world suddenly shifts into perspective. Laura can almost hear the distinctive _click_ looking at Ross. After the filming of Girlfriends and Girl friends, she'd sorta jumped in head first and never looked back.

"Laura?" a voice called, snapping her out of her trance. Ross blinked, his heart pounding in a strange way.

"Yes?" she responded. It was her mother.

"Time to go to school. Hi, Ross," Mrs. Marano greeted, smiling fondly at the blonde boy. He really was such a sweet seventeen year old. He was so nice to her daughter, it was the least she could do to try and not push the two together to just get married already.

"Okay, I'm coming," Laura said, getting up from the couch, then turning around to face Ross. "Um, just text me if you need me." She smiled and his heart warmed up.

"Okay," he replied back, but by then she had already left.

**OoO**

"Austin & Ally has ruined my life," a woman dead panned in front of the camera. Bill's eyebrows shot up and Doris's mouth hung open at this automatic statement.

"And how has it ruined your life?" Doris asked, curious.

"Well, first of all, it is all my daughter talks about! And she's eighteen! Too old to be watching Disney Channel."

"You know that there isn't an exact age to be watching Disney Channel, right?" Bill asked from behind the camera. He couldn't help it.

"Of course I know that. It's just that I wish she would focus more on her AP classes then some dumb show. I mean, it's just a show."

Doris chuckled. "To many kids, it's not. In fact, I've interviewed many people in different age groups who love this show."

"Yeah? Well... it's still a show."

**Somewhere in Canada...**

"Can you believe this lady?!" a girl screamed. "She called Austin & Ally a _show_." Fact: Megan loved Austin & Ally. Fact: Megan thought about Austin & Ally constantly. Fact: Megan was nineteen.

"But Megan,_ isn't_ it a show though?" her friend Jason replied over the phone. They were at different colleges now, but the two still tried to keep in touch by Skyping, chatting, and talking on the phone whenever they could. Of course, they weren't dating.

They were just best friends.

"It is not just a _show, _Jason. It is... it is a lifestyle!"

"Stop talking Megan, before you embarrass yourself any further."

"Just hear me out, alright, Jason? You have these two, what, sixteen, seventeen year olds? They meet in a music store. The girl instantly hates him because he steals her song and makes it an internet global sensation. The anger dissipates and they become a team. She helps him grow, as a person and career wise. He helps her grow and step out of her shell. And he says this sweet stuff to her all the time like _I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't sing the songs you wrote for me _and _It's about time that the coolest girl here finally get__s her dance. _Tell me that's not cute!"

"Alright, alright, I guess it's pretty cute."

"Okay, and now Austin meets this other chick with breath that smells like shit-"

Jason begins laughing hysterically.

"It's true! And then her shitty breath disappears and now Austin is all over her and Ally has just realized that she likes him and it's just... ugh!" Megan sighs, clearly frustrated.

"...And how is this a lifestyle?" Jason asks, scratching his head in his dorm room in pure confusion.

"Because, it has everything we can relate to: music, friendship, and love. Haven't you ever fallen for your best friend, Jason?"

Silence.

"Hello? Jason? Are you still there?"

Jason clears her throat, nervous. Maybe now's the time to tell her. She basically brought it up herself, right?

"Hello?" Megan asks again, pulling her phone away from her ear to make sure she didn't accidentally press mute or hold or end call.

"Yeah, I'm still here," Jason replies.

"Oh. Well, where'd you go?" she asks.

"Nowhere, I just... Megan?"

"Yeah?"

"It's just that... for the longest time... I mean... God, that was stupid, let me start over... I-"

"Jason, just spit it out, will you?" Megan giggles, wondering what could possibly be getting him so nervous.

"_I like you._"

Megan's smile fades. "What?" she whispers.

"I like you, Megan. Like... as _more _than a friend."

"...Oh..."

"Yeah..."

"I see..."

"Mhm."

"Well, that's not good."

Jason sighs. "I know."

"We're both in trouble."

"I know that I've jeopardized everything now but I just... I had to say it."

"We're both in trouble because I like you too."

Jason blinks, pulls the phone away from his ear, cleans his ear, then puts the phone back in its original position. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that, Megan?" he asks. He's grinning, praying that he's not dreaming.

"I. Like. You. Too," Megan states, laughing. And he starts laughing, too. He can't believe it. He'd had a crush on Megan since he'd met her Freshman year of high school when she wore that ridiculous cat sweater. Fortunately he'd been wearing a ridiculous dog sweater, and the two had never looked back after that.

"God, I wish I could be there with you right now," he says, closing his eyes, still smiling.

"I miss you," she murmurs. "And Jason?"

"Yeah, babe?" he asks, trying out the new nickname.

Megan smiles at the sound of it. "I told you Austin & Ally was a lifestyle."

Jason laughs. "Yeah. Remind me to thank those guys. It brought me to you."

The thing about the Austin & Ally fandom is that yes, it can be crazy, and yes, maybe we're over analyzing things. But if you see it in our perspective, you can almost hear the obvious _clicks _of where everything falls into place, exactly and precisely where it should.


	5. Chapter 5: The Thing About Ross & Laura

"Alright, take a break, guys!" the director announced. Laura sighed. As much as she loved her job, it had been a long day. The stress from school was beginning to crash down upon her. It was getting difficult, staying up late with filming for the show and attempting to do her Calculus homework during breaks.

The main point: Laura Marano was not living the typical teenage life.

Ross sneaked a peek at Laura and noticed her frowning, a sight he never liked to see- something he would _never _admit to her. He had noticed a slight change in her these days: more lip chewing, more studying, more eye bags. He just wanted to sweep her up and wrap her in an enormous bear hug like they'd done in their recent episode. Hopefully this time she wouldn't unravel terrible bear jokes. He took a deep breath before he began to walk up to her.

_Be cool, Ross, _he thought. _It's just Laura. You've known her for forever. Who cares what she said in that interview? That was weeks ago. It's in the past now. _

However he couldn't ignore the small voice peeping in the back of his mind: _It's all out in the open now. Why don't you just make your move?_

There were countless reasons:

She didn't want a boyfriend right now.

She was extremely focused on school and work.

She...well...you know.

"Why the long face?" he asked, gently nudging her arm. When she looked up at him he nearly got a heart attack with those large brown doe eyes of hers.

"Just a little tired, that's all," she lied. How could she tell him that it was beginning to get all too overwhelming? More importantly, why was she afraid to tell him? She had known Ross for three years now. They were extremely close, yet lately she found herself drifting further away from him, almost as if she was...scared.

"C'mon. You know you can tell me anything."

_There goes that darn charming smile again, s_he thought. "It's just... I don't know, it's getting hard to keep up with everything. Work and school at the same time... it's hard," she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

_Say something nice! _he thought, racking his brain for sweet, clever compliments. "Hey, you're smart, you can do it." She managed a weak smile, making his compliment weak as well. _Try again. _"You are the most determined person I know. I mean, if you hadn't noticed, you're kinda the perfect role model, Laura."

Her eyes lit up and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. "You think so?"

He laughed when she did that cute nose scrunching thing of hers. "Yes, I know so. You're funny and talented and pretty-"

"You think I'm pretty?" she interrupted. He felt his cheeks blaze a million different colors.

"My point is," he said, and somehow his hand ended up on top of hers, "you can do anything. I have complete faith in you that you can, trust me."

She couldn't help but melt into Ross's comforting words. He was her crutch when she began to fall. She squeezed his hand.

"Thanks Ross. You really are the best," she said, grinning. He loved knowing that he was the reason she was smiling. It was probably the greatest feeling in the world, knowing that he could make Laura feel so many different ways... just like she made him feel like he was on a roller coaster.

Before he could stop himself, he intertwined his fingers into hers, their hands now woven into one another. She cleared her throat and felt the immediate instinct to pull away, to push him away from whatever this was he was trying to jump into.

She couldn't.

Not with everything that could possible be at jeopardy:

Austin & Ally

school

her heart.

But why wasn't her hand moving away? She looked up at him and felt scared, scared that she would get hurt, scared that being with him would ruin everything, scared of losing him before it even began. Instead she followed her heart, even if it was for just a moment, and placed her head onto his shoulder. It felt just as natural as when they did it on the show, except this time the sparks were just as bright, flying all the way to the moon and back.

The thing about Ross and Laura is that although they may seem slightly different, their hearts are in the same place. They both want the other to be happy about everything and anything. They also want to be happy... together.

The thing about Ross and Laura is that the magazines, the Raura fandom, the theories: they're all correct.

The thing about Ross and Laura is that they're that one couple on TV that wishes and prays and begs and hopes to become a couple in real life.

It all depends on who decides to make the first trip to the moon and back.


	6. Chapter 6: The Thing About Go-gurt

"Alright, do you know the plan, Bill?" Doris asked, tying her hair up into a ponytail. They sat together in their van, where all the cameras, tape recorders, and mini TVs hid. The life of an interviewer, specifically a Cupid interviewer, was one of secrecy.

It had always been this way: simply Doris and Bill driving down different roads and pathways to crack the next biggest case of two TV stars in love but too shy to admit it. She had started her company Cupid several years ago when her and Bob got the idea in college and it had been the best idea she'd ever made come true.

Bill was too busy eating a banana to listen to Doris. She smacked him on his arm.

"Bill! I said do you remember the plan? We're going to try to get some behind the scenes filming on Ross and Laura and see whether they're heating up or not, okay?"

"Yes, yes, alright," he said, getting behind the wheel. They had been on the road for years, and somewhere along the dry desert lands to the stops at gas stations he had fallen for his best friend since college. Too bad she was too busy with her career to even notice.

**OoOo**

"Knock knock," Raini said in a sing songy voice. Laura smiled, looking up from her English homework. The entire cast had been called because the director wanted to hold a meeting about the show, something he held daily every couple of weeks. It helped the cast and crew bond.

"Come in," Laura laughed. Raini wrapped her arms around her Austin & Ally BFF. The two were practically like sisters. "How have you been?"

"Oh you know... so and so..." Raini replied with a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh my gosh, you're dying to spill something, I know you too well. Tell me!" Laura exclaimed.

Raini squealed. "Oh okay, fine! Last night Calum took me out to dinner."

Laura's eyes nearly came out of their sockets. "Like on a _date_?!"

Raini shrugged her shoulders. "That's why I came to you. I'm not sure whether it was a date or not."

Laura closed her text book, fully prepared to answer Raini's problems. Ironically as it sounded, although Laura had absolutely no real life love experience and had never been on a real date, she had watched enough movies to get a glimpse of the real thing. "Did he pick you up in his own car or did you guys meet there?" she asked.

"He picked me up."

"Okay, that sounds good. Did he open the door for you when you guys walked in?"

"No..." Raini frowned.

Laura was quick to reassure. "Well don't worry too much about that, I mean in this century chivalry is dead!" The statement made Raini laugh. "Okay, was he flirting with you?"

"Um define flirting first."

Laura racked her brain for all the possible ways a guy could flirt with a girl. Her thoughts immediately ran to Ross holding her hand, hugging her when she was happy or sad, sharing his headphones with her on long car rides or airplane trips, and bringing her go-gurt between breaks. It was her guilty pleasure.

"Did he touch your hand or your arm at all during conversation?"

"Yes!"

"Did he laugh at certain things you said that weren't exactly funny?"

"Oh my gosh, yes! I was talking about how my brother punched a doctor once when he got his first shot and he started laughing. The doctor was knocked out for more than five minutes and...Laura!"

Laura couldn't stop the laughter from bursting out of her mouth. The story was just a tad bit funny... okay maybe _more _funny. Laura cleared her throat and zipped her lips. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Did he pay for the dinner?"

"Yes..."

"Then it was a date! That is a no brainer date, Raini, come on!" Laura threw her arms up in the air. It seemed so obvious and the details of it all seemed to point in the direction of a date.

"But at the end of the night he said 'That was a lot of fun, Raini' and he just hugged me when he dropped me off at my door."

"Maybe he was too nervous to kiss you. Raini trust me, that was a date. And when the time comes, he'll kiss you. Patience is all you need at this point."

Raini sighed. "Now if only you could take your own advice."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, Laura, I know that you and Ross are pretty much in love with one another," Raini explained. "I knew it from day one! Why can't you two just go out already? It'd be so _cute! _No matter how many times you say Raura stands for Raini and Laura you know what it _really _stands for."

"You think I haven't thought of being with Ross either? Of course I have!" Laura sagged in her chair, very unaware of the small shadow that was just outside the door. "What if we break up? Then acting with him will be awkward, the show's ratings will start going down... plus I don't think I can handle it if we broke up."

"As in you're afraid of losing him?" Raini asked. Laura nodded. "You have nothing to worry about. You know what you need to do? Have some faith in yourself, and in him! Stop thinking about the bad things when the good hasn't even begun yet."

"I'm just scared, that's all... You know me, Raini. I'm a complete romantic but I've never been a guy's girlfriend before. What if I'm bad at it?" Laura fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"You won't, because you are the sweetest girl I know, plus you know that if Ross ever hurt you I'd just punch him, right?" The girls split into laughter, the kind that can only happen with your best girl friend, the kind that makes you feel like everything will be alright. On the other side of the door however, a familiar red head had his heart pounding and his brain spinning.

**OoOo**

"She said that? That she's scared?" Ross asked, arms folded.

"That's exactly what she said, man. And Raini couldn't tell that the date we went on was actually a date! I did everything you told me: laugh at the things she said, touch her arm every once in awhile... I knew I screwed up when I didn't kiss her."

"It's okay dude, I mean every guy gets nervous when he kisses a girl he really likes. I know I do around Laura," Ross admitted. He sighed. "I just don't get why she's scared."

"She's scared that you guys will break up and everything will be awkward."

"But I haven't even asked her out yet!"

"Neither have I!"

The two boys both sighed.

"Girls are confusing," they said simultaneously.

**OoOo**

"Thank you everyone for coming," the director declared to the cast and crew, who were all whispering and murmuring about what the meeting could possibly focus on. "I just wanted to call all of you and congratulate you guys on the success of being able to have a season three!"

Everyone burst into cheer, and Laura and Ross looked at each other, both smiling, both clapping, both happy. Raini noticed how close the two seemed to be sitting next to each other, how their body language seemed to gravitate towards the other naturally, as easy as breathing.

"To celebrate, we're holding a big cast and crew event this Saturday with a special twist: fans will be invited."

"So like a meet and greet?" Laura asked.

"Not necessarily. More like a giant party."

"Is this formal?" Raini asked, her eyes sparkling with the idea of wearing a long dress and getting all dolled up. Maybe she'd even catch Calum's eye. Little did she know he was already staring at her from across the table.

"Are you psychic?" the director asked, making everyone chuckle. "Yes indeed, it is formal." All the girls in the room squealed. "I'm thinking of holding it on the beach since it is summer, so think beach formal. Of course there'll be food, music, and I really think we just all need a break away from the set for just a night!"

Now the whole room was buzzing. Laura could feel the excitement in the air, as well as in herself. A formal beach party sounded absolutely perfect. Anything to keep her mind off of Ross romantically. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and picked it up.

_Raini: Wear something hot so that your boyfriend will notice ;)_

Laura rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling.

_ Laura: He's not my boyfriend._

_Raini: Whatever you say... RAURA. 3_

Laura sighed at Raini's reply and closed her phone shut.

"Are we allowed to bring dates?" a voice asked, and Laura felt alarmed when she realized it was Ross who had asked the question. She could almost feel the holes he was burning into her face as he took a side peek at Laura.

"Sure, if you want to, Ross. Is there some lucky girl in mind?"

Ross took a glance at Laura, who was turning pink. He smirked. "Yeah, there is." Raini giggled in her chair.

"Same here," Calum chimed in, making Raini turn pink.

"So," Ross said as he turned to Laura.

"Mhm?" Laura asked, afraid to even speak. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. She was pretty sure he could hear it by the way he looked at her, as if he knew what he was doing, which he probably did.

"Look what I got you!" he exclaimed, handing her a go-gurt.

Laura laughed. "My biggest weakness!"

What she wouldn't tell him, though, was that lately her biggest weakness was beginning to be him.


	7. Chapter 7: The Thing About Angels

The thing about angels is that they are completely heaven sent. They are flawless in such a way that it comes naturally. They shine, they glow, they illuminate, day or night. They are kind and sweet and beautiful and they love go-gurt.

"Are you alright, Ross?" Laura asked him. He'd been staring into space for quite awhile now. They were supposed to be reviewing their scripts but clearly something else was on his mind. Was it odd if she wished it were her?

"Huh?" He blinked, suddenly snapping out of his own thoughts. He felt a slight blush creep up his cheeks, and he hoped she didn't notice. She didn't.

"We're supposed to be reviewing the script, you know," Laura reminded him.

"I know," Ross sighed. "I guess I've just got a lot going on in my brain."

Laura frowned. "Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked.

Ross looked at her, this angel, asking him if he wanted to talk to her. But where could he possibly begin? The truth was always so hard to explain. He felt his mouth shaking, his tongue tying itself into billions of intricate knots. How could he describe the shining halo above her head, how her very presence made him question his sanity? The words sounded ridiculous, lunatic, nuts.

He had absolutely no idea where to start.

So he decided to say the first thing that came to his mind:

"Do you believe in angels?"

Laura was a little caught off guard. Angels? _Angels? _Why angels? Those petite flying people with rings above their heads? Why was Ross thinking about them? "Well sure, yeah, I guess."

"Well I do. I've heard their incredible."

Laura laughed. "Oh really? How would you even know?"

_ Because I've met you. _That's what he wanted to say. "I've just heard. My mom calls me one so she must be right."

Laura rolled her eyes. "You, an angel?" She took a stuffed animal on her cast chair and threw it at his face. He managed to catch it in time, sticking his tongue out at her. "Yeah right! Ross, you are anything but an angel."

"I know, I'm such a bad boy," he sighed, winking. Laura felt her heart race a bit.

"Yeah, a bad boy who likes stuffed animals!"

"Hey that's Austin, not me!" he exclaimed.

"Then why are you hugging Carrie the Cat?" she questioned, squinting her eyes mischievously at him. He looked down, realizing that he was in fact gripping the stuffed animal tightly. He cleared his throat and let go of it.

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was _not._"

Laura dead panned him. "Yes. You. Were."

"No. I. Wasn't."

"Fine. Then prove it," Laura smirked. She found herself taking giant steps back as Ross suddenly moved closer to her, his face suddenly _too _near hers. His eyes were brown, _really _brown, and she found them staring at her lips. Oh no. He wouldn't. Not now, not here. She wasn't wearing her favorite Baby Lips flavor, he couldn't!

Laura squeezed her eyes as Ross placed his hands on top of her head. She managed to open one out of curiosity. What was he _doing_? Then he removed his hands and placed them on top of his own head.

"I am so lost right now, and I'm smart," she said.

Ross chuckled. "I stole your halo. Now you _have _to believe me because angels never lie."

Laura stared at him for a moment, then broke out in laughter, embracing him with all that her heart and soul felt in that moment. Ross smiled and gently placed the halo back onto her head before he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.

**OoOo**

"I miss you," Megan sighed into the phone. She sat on the grass outside her college campus, studying for her finals. It was weird that the only way she could focus was to be outside, with the rest of the planet, the grass and the trees.

"I miss you too, babe," Jason replied. "But we'll see each other soon, I promise."

"I know. One more week and then we are _finally_ on summer break. College kinda sucks sometimes."

"Is it because I'm not there with you?" Jason teased.

Megan rolled her eyes but she couldn't suppress her laughter. "Well partly. I think my brain has just been wrapped around this psychology text book for _waaay _too long."

"I told you not to major in that, but you didn't listen to me!"

"Alright, first: I never listen to you." Jason snorted. "And second: I love psychology! It's just a lot of work, that's all."

"Good point." There was silence for a second. "Man, I miss you."

Megan smiled, feeling small tears prick at the corners of her eyes. It had been almost a month since their confessions to one another that they were both in deep. It was terribly hard to hug her best friend slash boyfriend over the phone, though. It was also hard to kiss him through Skype or Snapchat. Technology could only go so far for love.

"I miss you too," she said, her voice cracking.

"Oh no, Megs, don't start crying on me now. I can't have you doing that."

"Why not?" she asked, sniffling.

"Because you can't get snot all over your sapphire lace dress."

The tears stopped. "Wait, how do you-"

"Turn around."

She dropped her phone and began to run. It was like her legs and limbs tore away from the rest of her boy and had a mind of its own. She didn't care that the whole campus was probably thinking she was crazy. As she jumped into Jason's arms, the only thing she could think was that when she died, she hoped heaven would be this lovely.

Letting go, she asked breathlessly, "Why are you here? I thought we both agreed on next week, because of finals!"

"I couldn't wait," he said, grinning and taking both her hands in his, finally reveling in the feel of being able to hold his girlfriend in person. "I asked my professors if I could take my finals early and they all were happy to agree. One less paper to grade, I guess."

He couldn't help but stand starstruck at the look on her face. Tears streamed down her face and she was smiling so hard he was afraid her teeth would break. He wiped the tears away and pulled her in for a hug.

"Hey, hey, no crying. Angels aren't allowed to cry."

Megan laughed at this statement._ Damn, _he thought, _even her laughter sounds like an angel's. _All he could do now was hug this angel. And then take her out for ice cream, of course.

**OoOo**

Angels come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. They all have halos on their heads, even if you can't quite see it. They all have hearts of gold and good intentions. They all have a purpose. And this is exactly what Ross thought as he looked over at Laura, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder from rehearsing the script so many times. Also because she had eaten too much go-gurt and even had a little bit of it around her mouth. He chuckled quietly.

He sighed to himself. Calum was right. He really did need to make his move already. Laura might be an angel, but he was sure that even angels couldn't wait forever, especially not for a devil.


	8. Chapter 8: The Thing About Fireworks

_Happy Fourth of July, guys! _Laura tweeted, smiling. She sighed. The day was perfectly planned out. There was no filming today for the show, so she, Ross, Calum, and Raini would be heading to Great America to see the flowers bloom in the sky.

Fireworks, of course.

She double checked herself in the mirror: curled hair, half up and half down with a blue bow. A white tank top with blue stars, and her red Converse. She had gone shopping the previous day with her mother and Vanessa, her older sister, who had teased her while Laura racked through many clothes.

"Who are you trying to look good for, little sister?" Vanessa asked with a smile in her voice.

Laura felt herself go peach, a shade she turned when she got especially nervous. "No one. Can't a girl want to dress up for no reason at all?"

Vanessa pretended to ponder this for a moment. "Just about as much as the number of people who still have flip phones..."

Laura sighed. "I just want to look nice for Fourth of July."

Vanessa smirked. "And by Fourth of July you mean Ross."

"Yeah, pretty much," Laura admitted. She was getting tired of trying to hold her feelings in, she had to vent to_ someone, _and who better for it to be her own sister.

"Then this will be fun!" Vanessa squealed. "Let's get you into shorts...ooh, this tank top... you still have those red Converse?" Laura nodded. "Alright, good. Now let's get your booty into that dressing room!"

And now here she stood, all dolled up, casual yet cute. She took a deep breath and went out the door.

**OoOo**

The car ride was long yet entertaining. Ross was driving and Laura sat shot gun, window down, a warm breeze blowing through her hair.

It finally felt like summer.

She glanced at the back seat, where Calum and Raini sat debating roller coasters versus water rides.

"Water rides are more fun because it's all about the anticipation of getting soaked," Calum reasoned.

"But roller coaster _double _that anticipation with the thrill of the drop," Raini challenged. Calum narrowed his eyes at her, then slowly smiled.

"Good point," he said, smiling at her. Laura could almost see Raini's heart practically melting. She chuckled quietly to herself. She glanced over at Ross, his hands on the wheel, eyes on the road. He was a fairly good driver, maybe not perfect but close to it. Vanessa sometimes had road rage; it was scary.

"You look good today, Laura," Ross said, catching her eye. He just wanted to shrink her and keep her in his pocket at all times. _My thoughts are turning girly, _he thought.

"Thanks," she replied, grinning and glad he had noticed. She made a mental note to herself to thank Vanessa later once she got home. "You too." And he did, in his muscle tank and khakis. She could understand why so many girls were drooling over him when they watched the show. "Are we almost there?"

Ross nodded. "Five more minutes. You excited? I'm sorry I couldn't take us to Six Flags or anything like that." _Disneyland would've been more romantic, _he thought.

"It's alright. As long as I'm with you," Laura said. Ross's eyebrows went up. "And Raini and Calum!" Laura's nervous laughter sounded just as bad as Ally's that she wanted to crawl into a bucket and die right then and there. But she noticed that he smiled when she'd said it, and she couldn't help but wonder if she didn't have to wait until the beach party. Maybe something would happen tonight.

**OoOo**

"Woah, let's go on _that_!" Ross shouted, pointing to a tall roller coaster that towered over all of them. Laura felt her legs turn to jelly.

"It's so high..." she said. It wasn't like she was afraid of roller coasters, but more like a fear of heights.

"It's okay Laura, you can squeeze my hand," Raini reassured her, then got a a better idea. "Actually I'm kinda scared too," she lied, "so I'm gonna have to sit next to Calum. You'll have to squeeze Ross's hand." Laura sent her daggers. _Raini loves roller coasters, _she thought. _Sneaky curly haired_ _girl. _

"That's fine," Ross chirped, grabbing Laura's hand and dragging her towards the roller coaster. "It'll be fun!"

The line was incredibly long, stretching all the way around the gates. "Oh man, this is gonna take forever," Calum sighed. A girl turned around at the sound of his voice and her eyes boggled.

"O-M-G! Aren't you Dez from Austin & Ally?!" a red haired girl screeched.

Calum grinned. "Yes, I am."

"Oh my God guys, look at who is behind us!" the girl screamed to her friends. A group of four girls turned around and froze in their places, then began to squirm around wildly except for one.

"Ross, Destiny here is totally and completely in love with you," the red head declared. "I'm Claire. These are my friends Sam, Georgia, and your future girlfriend Destiny."

Destiny shoved an elbow into Claire's ribs, her cheeks turning scarlet at the sight of Ross actually standing in front of her... in person...holding Laura's hand. _Holding Laura's hand. _She gasped, but she was not hurt at all.

"Hi Laura," she managed to squeak. Laura smiled in return and smirked at Ross. It was insanely hilarious to see how fan girls squealed around Ross. But then again, she would too if she were them. She already did it secretly behind doors now, anyway.

"Hi!" Laura exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh Laura, you are too pretty! And we're matching Converse!" Sam pointed out. Laura laughed.

"We are," she agreed. "C'mon, let's take a picture with these #1 Austin & Ally fans, guys." She took out her phone. "1, 2, 3...smile!"

_Click. _

They all gathered around to see the picture. The four girls stood in the back, grins wide, with their arms around each other. Clearly the bunch were inseparable, the kind that had been best friends since they were all in diapers, the kind that did interviews with Cupid interviewers a couple weeks ago. Then in the front stood Raini and Calum. If you zoomed in, you could see a small part of Calum's hand around Raini's waist. If the pixels of the picture could get a thousand times clearer, you'd notice how pink Raini's cheeks had turned because of it.

Then there was Ross and Laura. Ross had his arm wrapped around Laura's shoulder, as always, and Laura's arm around his back. Their height difference was extremely noticeable, what with Ross practically towering over Laura, whose petite frame was no match for Ross's stance. If you zoomed in about three times, you could see two people lurking in the background, a man and a woman- the man holding a camera directed at the group and the woman taking notes.

You already know who _those _two are.

"Oh, the line's moving up!" Ross exclaimed, and the group moved forward together.

"Hey, you guys should come to our giant cast and crew party this Saturday," Raini informed the fans. "It's gonna be a blast."

"Are you sure?" Claire asked. "Isn't that only for you guys?"

"Well this year our director decided to invite fans as well, so spread the word," Laura replied.

The girls simultaneously squealed, then turned to Georgia. "You haven't said anything, girl," Sam said, nudging her. Georgia gave a small smile.

"Sounds fun," Georgia said. Laura looked at the girl curiously. She seemed like a genuine person, just a little quiet, is all.

"Next in line!" the roller coaster worker called. The large group began to climb aboard. Ross looked at Laura.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded, grabbing his hand. "Ready when you are," she replied, grinning, and they buckled their seat belts, ready to go along for the ride.

**OoOo**

As the fans and the gang went their own separate ways, bidding good bye and making promises to see each other on Saturday, the two familiar figures were lurking closely behind.

"Did you get the pictures of Laura and Ross holding hands?" Doris asked. Bill nodded and fought the urge to hold Doris's hand. What would she do if he tried? Would she push it away in disgust? Or would she intertwine her fingers between his? He prayed for the second option. "Come on, we've got to keep up with them."

The sky was beginning to darken, and the clouds were turning into wisps of what used to be visible puffs. Laura smiled as her memories turned to Ally's Cloud Watching Club. She felt very attached to her character. Maybe it was an actress thing, she wasn't quite sure.

"The sky looks gorgeous," Raini breathed, smiling at the colors- the faded pinks and oranges, and the hint of a blazing red.

"So do other things," Calum murmured, mesmerized by Raini's face. She looked up at him, and the two shared a secret smile.

"Are those two into each other as well?!" Doris whispered from behind a bush.

"Obviously," Bill replied. "Love is in the air, I guess." Doris snorted. "You know, a lot of things are obvious, too." This caught Doris's attention.

"Like what?" she asked him. Bill was suddenly caught off guard. Should he tell her now, like this, behind a bush?

"Nothing," he said. Doris stared at him for a moment, then decided to let it go and focus on the task at hand. Yet she couldn't quite ignore the soft pitter patter she felt in her heart.

"Aww, cute bear!" Laura squealed, running over to a toy booth. Ross shook his head. He just couldn't wrap his mind around why girls were so obsessed with fluffy things, and why they had to label everything as cute. But then again, he had hugged Carrie the Cat, so maybe he partially understood. He walked over to her, looking at the white bear wearing a purple bow around its neck.

"Excuse me, can I play?" Laura asked the man behind the counter. The man nodded.

"Just aim this gun at that target. It'll shoot water, and if you get the ball to the top, you can choose a prize from the shelf," he explained.

"Let's split into teams: me and Raini, you and Laura," Calum suggested. Raini felt her cheeks go pink.

"Sounds like a deal. But just to warn you, Laura and I are going to kick some serious ass," Ross gloated. Laura laughed, placing her hands around the gun. She felt surprised when a larger pair of hands covered her own over the gun as well. She turned around to find Ross hugging her from behind, helping her position the gun at the target.

"Thought you might need some help," he said, smiling. It took her everything not to sigh. "Team effort, right?"

"Right," she replied, grinning. He loved the way his heart buzzed whenever she smiled like that, like she was happy because of him. He also loved hugging her in this position and being able to hold her hands. He mimed at Calum to do the same to Raini.

"Start!" the man exclaimed, and water was being shot. The target seemed to be moving, which only made it harder to hit it. But Ross's firm hands managed to guide Laura's to the bull's eye until the ball reached the top. He pumped a fist into the air.

"Ha! Told you so!" Ross shouted, wrapping an arm around Laura. He couldn't help himself. Laura leaned her head against his shoulder, giggling. She couldn't help herself either.

**OoOo**

Hours later, after walking around with a white bear wearing a purple bow, riding more roller coasters, waiting for Calum to finally win Raini something, the sky had completely darkened. The stars were out, and a crescent of the moon shone. They all made their way to the fire works area of the park and took a seat out on the cement.

"It's warm," Laura said.

"Well it has been a long, hot day," Ross replied.

Music began to play loudly, a symphony of flutes and trumpets, and colored lights began to mirror across the sky.

"It's starting," Raini squealed, looping her arm through Calum's unknowingly, simply by instinct. Besides, it wasn't like Calum minded anyway.

"Do you still want me to film?" Bill asked Doris, as they stood a long but fair distance away from the kids. For the first time in awhile, she smiled at him like she used to in college.

"It's alright. I think we both need a break," Doris replied. Bill grinned back, turning off the camera.

A bright red firework began to bloom across the sky.

_Red, _Laura thought. _That's how I feel about Ross. That's the color he makes my cheeks turn. _

Then two booms chorused together, two bright greens that zoomed across the sky, almost like alien shooting stars.

_Green. The color of the spinach they had to put in his mouth for that one scene when Austin kept getting spinach in his teeth. We couldn't stop laughing, the director kept having to call "Cut!"_

A flurry of colors shattered so quickly one after the other that Laura's brain had a hard time processing them quick enough, trying to attach each color to memories and moments.

_Yellow- the color of the sun the day Ross first started his list of Laura jokes for me. _

_Lavendar- the color of Ross's favorite Ally outfit in the episode where Ally's song finally got on the radio unexpectedly. _

_Pink- the color of flowers that Ross got me once for Valentine's Day. _

A heart suddenly bloomed across the horizon and Ross felt his own skip a beat. He looked at Laura, who seemed really intent on concentration on _something_. The colors seemed to flash across her own face, and he tried to remember this, remember her looking up at the sky this way, remember the way she held the bear by its paw in her one hand. He took her other hand in his own.

He didn't care anymore.

"Laura," he said. She turned to him, slightly wide eyed. Would he say something? Would he confess? Or would he be just like the rest of them: a heart breaker?

"Yeah?" she asked, gulping. He noticed her hand was shaking, and he covered his other hand on top of hers to stop it. She calmed.

"I don't know... I mean... No, okay, you see... Laura... I-"

"IT'S ROSS LYNCH FROM AUSTIN & ALLY!" a teenage girl screamed, catching the attention of hundreds of other girls, who began to mob their way through the crowd to reach the blonde star. He looked at Laura apologetically, and she squeezed his hand in return.

Confessions would have to wait. The only thing they could now was run.


	9. Chapter 9: The Thing About Jackets

"Over here," Ross whispered, grabbing Laura's hand and dragging her behind a small, hidden pathway covered by trees. The two waited in silence until the screaming fans passed them and their shouts were merely blurry underwater sounds. Laura sighed in relief.

"Yeesh, Ross, you've got to stop attracting so many screaming girls all the time," she said, getting up from the cement and brushing off the small rocks that had attached to her shorts. Ross mimicked her movements.

"It's not my fault I'm hot," he teased. She rolled her eyes. They were surrounded by mother nature, completely hidden, and that was when she fully realized that they were alone.

"Come on, we have to head back. Raini and Calum are probably worrying," she replied, and the two began to walk along the small pathway. It was absolute silence at first, but ironically they were used to this. The silence was never awkward, but rather comfortable. "I can't remember the last time we were really alone."

Ross nodded. "I know. We've both been so busy, and even when we're together, it's not really..."

"Together?" Laura asked, smiling. Ross didn't make sense sometimes, but she'd been with him long enough to understand his strange way with words.

"Exactly. I can't remember the last time it was just like this, just walking, not heading anywhere special, you know? My feet are always on the go to so many different destinations, but it's nice to just walk to only one for once." Ross spotted a small rock and swiftly moved his foot to kick it. They watched it roll ahead of them, almost as if it were guiding the way.

"Everything has been so hectic lately," Laura murmured, folding her arms to try to keep the cold from seeping through the thin fabric of her tank top. She kicked the rock. "How were your tours?" While he had been away, going to London and such, he had managed to call her and text her about the tall buildings and even the details of his hotel room. It had been nice to hear from him even when he was all the way on the other side of the world.

It was these things that just made her fall in love with him even more.

"They were awesome. The crowds were so pumped every night, it was just great to be on stage. The fans were amazing," he breathed, kicking the rock. It was becoming a pattern as their conversation dwindled on, her kicking the rock

then him

then her

then him.

"I don't think you could handle the crowds, especially those screaming girls," Laura taunted. "Your guy hormones would've kicked into over drive and you would've had to be taken away in an ambulance for having a heart attack."

"Oh please, I am the coolest and calmest person on Earth. _They _would be having heart attacks over _me_," Ross replied, but she knew he was just teasing as well. "You're just jealous."

Laura's foot froze in front of the rock. _So he's going to play that card, huh? _she thought. _Fine. I can play along. _"I have no reason to be jealous." Then she kicked the rock.

"You don't?" he asked, frowning. He was kind of hoping she was feeling a teensy bit jealous. A jealous Laura was bound to be flattering to his ego, but instead he felt like it shrinking. He kicked the rock lightly.

"Nope," she replied, kicking the rock happily. "Because I get to see you almost everyday while they only get to see you every once in awhile. I think I can share you."

"I don't think I can share you," he muttered, kicking the rock so carefully that it barely rolled. Laura chuckled, taking a kick at it instead.

"Not even with little six year old boys?" she teased.

"I'd have to tell them to go look for someone their own size," Ross said, smiling. Finally he picked up the rock and threw it, far, far away into the distance. They watched it soar through the air and disappear into the trees. Little did they know, it had hit a man with a camera.

Poor Bill. Doris was trying so very hard not to laugh.

Ross looked over at Laura. "Besides, everyone knows at the end of the day that it's always gonna be Austin and Ally." Her eyes were so brown and deep that he could almost feel himself falling into them, falling into her.

"Oh really?" she asked. "And what would Austin do to keep other boys away from Ally?"

He noticed the goose bumps rising along her arms. "Well first," he said, taking off his jacket that he'd brought along in case _he _got cold, " Austin would make sure she was warm and comfortable before he took care of the enemies." He draped his jacket lightly over Laura's shoulders, tucking it around her neck. He couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like if she was actually his, wearing his jacket because it marked her as Ross Lynch's girlfriend.

"Then what?" she asked quietly. She honestly just wanted to fall asleep in this jacket, just take it home and wear it to bed. It was comfortable, it was warm.

It was Ross.

"Then he would hug her like this," he said, stepping behind her to wrap his arms tightly around her waist, tucking his head into the crook of her neck. "So that they, in this case Elliot, know that Ally is Austin's, and Austin's only."

Laura laughed, letting her head fall back against his chest and relaxing herself into him. They were a perfect fit. But she knew she had to pull away at sometime to say what she needed to say. She turned around and looked him straight in the eye. And when she couldn't do that, she stared at the ground instead.

"What would Ross do?"

He gulped, shoving a hand in his pocket. "He doesn't know yet," he breathed.

"He doesn't _know _yet?" Laura asked in disbelief. This was getting so frustrating.

"No, I mean, he... _I_... I don't know."

Laura began to walk ahead. Of course he didn't know. That's what every boy said. _I don't know._

What doesn't he know?

"Laura, wait!" Ross exclaimed, catching up to her. He looked at her, so small and afraid and wearing his jacket. "He would do this."

And then his lips were on hers, all too quickly, and she was definitely caught off guard. But they were warm and soft and she couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck as his settled for her waist. They stayed like this for who knows how long, but neither of them cared. When they both pulled away, he was grinning. Like the Cheshire cat.

"Do you want to know what Laura would do?" she asked him. His smile faltered for a moment, unsure of what she would do. Would she slap him? But before he could answer, she shut him up.

You know how.

**OoOo**

"Can I stop taking pictures now? I think I get the point that they're making out," Bill said in disgust.

"Oh, fine," Doris sighed. He gladly pulled the camera away from his face, shuddering. "I've done it again!"

"Yes you have," he murmured. He looked at her. Here, in the middle of the trees? Right now? Before he could stop himself, he quickly kissed Doris's cheek. She froze.

The silence was excruciatingly, painfully loud. Bill cringed. Then he noticed Doris's shoulders unknot themselves and that's when he breathed.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay," she said softly, then looked up at him and smiled. He knew everything would be okay. "Let's go home."

**OooO**

"What do you think they're going to say?" Laura asked, her fingers woven in between Ross's as they made their way back to the amusement park.

"Their blessings?" Ross replied, and Laura burst out laughing.

"Let's hope so..." she said. He stopped walking and turned her around to face him.

"Hey," he murmured, cupping her face in between his hands, something he had been dying to do, besides kissing her, that is, "we will be fine. Trust me."

All she could do was nod and smile as he leaned in to kiss her. Her lips would never get old. He was pretty sure he was going to have to kiss her about fifty times a day, maybe even more. She lightly pushed him away.

"I wasn't done yet," he frowned, and she giggled.

"If we keep kissing, we'll never get back to the amusement park! C'mon silly," she said, grabbing his hand as she dragged him down the small pathway and through the trees. Their conversation continued, bouncing around to the topics of birthdays, the giant party on Saturday, but mainly focusing on when the two had fallen for one another.

"I fell for you when we started filming Girlfriends and Girl friends, the picnic scene," he admitted as he swung their hands back and forth.

"That's it?! Ross, I've liked you since we started filming season two!" she exclaimed.

He gaped at her. "Seriously?!" His head was spinning. She had liked him for that long? If only he'd known sooner. "Why didn't you say anything?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I honestly kept it to myself for awhile. I was having conflicted feelings, I wasn't sure if I fully liked you."

"So when did you fully fall for me?" he asked, grinning. It was nice to have so many of his questions finally getting answered.

"Campers and Complications, when we were sitting on the piano," she replied, feeling her face heat up.

"Ha, so technically I beat you!" he said, smirking. "I hated how the director said we couldn't kiss yet. I really wanted to."

"You just can't get enough of me, can you?" she teased, and he laughed, picking her and throwing her onto his back as he gave her a piggy back ride until they reached their destination. Raini's eyebrows shot up and Calum began to laugh.

"We leave you two alone for one second and then you get together? Really, guys?" Raini asked.

"Well I need to ask her officially first," Ross replied. "I haven't yet."

"He kissed me," Laura said, making Calum's laughter stop as he sent Ross a thumbs up and an I'm-proud-of-you-look. Raini squealed.

"I knew it all along, man," Calum sighed. "Just putting it out there."

"So," Laura said, turning to Ross, "when _are _you going to ask me, officially?"

Ross smiled cheekily. "When you least expect it." On the car ride back home, he looked over at Laura and smiled.

She had fallen asleep in his jacket, just like she had wished for. Granted, she'd actually gotten much more than she wished for. And she was perfectly fine with that.


	10. Chapter 10: The Thing About Parties

Laura couldn't choose between her long flowing blue dress that had an ombre pattern cascading downwards or her more simpler floral summer dress. If her and Ross were going to be walking along the shore line, then she didn't want her dress to get wet from the waves, which is exactly what would happen if she wore the long ombre dress. But if it got cold later at the beach, she didn't want the wind to make her dress fly up, which is what would happen if she wore the floral summer dress. She sighed, frustrated.

Why was she worrying so much? She looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe what had happened just a few days ago. Ross had confessed. She had confessed. They had both confessed. And now, three days later, they were dating.

If only he would make the last finishing touches by asking her to be his girlfriend. He knew how she was, very old fashioned, very reserved. She wanted to make this right with him. She wanted it to last forever. But then again...

Didn't every girl? She stared again at the two dresses laid out on her bed, biting her lip in distress. Finally she came to her senses.

"Vanessa! I need your help again!"

**OoOo**

"Mommy, can we go, pretty please?" May pouted. "I need to see Austin & Ally in person! Please, Mommy?" Delilah looked at her daughter, who had been absolutely relentless about Austin & Ally ever since the interview she had done about a month ago now. She smiled. May was such a bright, beautiful young girl and everything she had imagined in a daughter.

"Of course, sweetie. And you know, Austin & Ally aren't real characters, right? They're actors. So don't be disappointed if they aren't as lovey dovey in real life like they are in the show," she pointed out to May. Her daughter, although only four, was already quite the big romantic. It was a mother's job to sometimes bring your child back down to Earth. After all, it had been only a year ago when her own husband had left her, just packed up and left without a single word or note.

Sometimes love didn't always have a happy ending.

"I know _that,_ Mommy," May replied, rolling her eyes. "They're celebitys."

She chuckled. "Cele-brit-ies, sweetie."

"That's what I said!" she exclaimed, frowning. It was hard to pronounce syllables properly with her two front teeth missing. "Oh, and Mommy, can Riley come?"

Riley was the boy that lived next door who was about May's age. They had been playmates since the day they'd both been born. Plus Riley's mother, Joanna, was Delilah's best friend. Ironically, both of their husbands had left them.

The only difference was that Joanna had it official on paper and in court.

"Of course Riley can come, sweetie. Let me call them right now," she said, picking up the phone. Anything for her daughter.

**OoOo**

"So they were really holding hands, Destiny?" Claire asked as they prepared for the party. The girls were all at Georgia's house, standing in front of the mirror, curling their eyelashes, fixing their hair, applying their lipstick...

You know how it is.

"I swear!" she exclaimed. "They really were! And Georgia can vouch for me, right Georgia?" She turned around to face her best friend who _had _been sitting on the bed. "Where'd Georgia go?"

"Guys?" a timid voice asked from the doorway. The girls turned around and gasped in unison.

"Woah...Georgia..." Destiny breathed.

"You look..." Sam said.

"Gorgeous!" Claire squealed. They huddled around their best friend, admiring her flawless makeup, effortlessly swept up, wavy hair with a few loose strands framing her cherubic face, and her long, flowing dress that very much represented the color of a million sunsets.

"How do I look?" she asked, still feeling a little awkward and nervous to be so dressed up. The girls all started laughing and hooting.

"You look hot!"

"Yeah, trying to attract some cute guy tonight at the party?"

And for the first time in awhile, Georgia laughed out loud. And by loud, _really _loud. The kind of laughter that came from the heart. She just wished her mom could be here to see how beautiful she looked and felt.

**OoOo**

"Are you sure you put the right address into the GPS?" Megan asked. Jason was driving as they headed to the beach party. She had called him right away as soon as she'd found out about it on some Austin & Ally blog... Tumblr, he believed?

"I'm positive," he said. "Don't worry, we'll get there. I promise." He took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers.

"Hey mister, keep your hands on the wheel. I'm too young to get into a car accident," Megan taunted.

"Never say that," Jason said, his voice panicked. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to you while I was driving!"

"Nothing is going to happen," she replied softly, squeezing his hand. "Now come on! I need to meet Ross and Laura!"

"Yeah, and I need to thank them."

"For what?" she asked.

"For getting us together," he reminded her. Their smiles were irremovable as they cruised down the road.

**OoOo**

The sun was peeking just above the horizon as people began to arrive to the beach. The party was jam packed with the cast, crew, and fans. Ross stared at his phone, wondering what was taking his girlfriend so long.

_Girlfriend. _He smiled. She was his now, and only his to keep. He would finally get to hold her hand, kiss her, and show her that she had nothing to be afraid of. He would make sure of it. He fiddled with his blue and white plaid button up shirt until Calum walked over to him.

"Dude, she's coming. Don't worry," he promised. Ross nodded, still wondering why his stomach held so many butterflies. Why was he feeling so nervous?

"You're wondering why you're feeling so nervous, aren't you?" Calum asked. Ross gaped at him.

"How did you know that?" he asked.

Calum shrugged his shoulders. "Because I'm a guy. And you're nervous because this is your first big public event with Laura as just more than friends! Isn't it obvious?" Calum clapped a hand onto Ross's shoulder. "But you have nothing to worry about. She's already almost yours. All you gotta do now is show her how happy you are to be hers."

Ross grinned, nodding. "You're right. Thanks, man. Now go find your own girl!" They both scanned the crowd for Raini.

"Found her. See ya!" Calum chuckled as he zoomed his way over to Raini. The two were clearly heating up as Calum pulled her in for a hug. Ross chuckled. He knew they would end up together soon. Time could only tell.

Ross checked his phone again. 6:30. Where was she? When he looked up, he felt his heart drop.

There she was, walking towards him with a smile on her face, in a floral summer dress. Lightly curled hair fell around her face. But that wasn't what had made his heart drop. His jacket was draped around her shoulders. He grinned, practically running towards her only to pick her up and twirl her around. She threw her head back, laughing.

"Ross, put me down!" she exclaimed, still laughing. He stopped twirling and set her back down.

"You look amazing," he said, staring straight into her eyes. He watched as the blush creeped up her cheeks and he laughed.

"You look just as handsome," she replied, smiling and straightening his collar. He watched her as she did this, how her eyes focused on his shirt and how attentive she seemed. He wanted to capture this moment, to engrave it in his mind forever. It was nothing special, her fixing his shirt. But it was these little things that reminded him how he had fallen for her in the first place. She cared. Not only for him, but for everyone around her. And as bubbly and bouncy and crazy as she seemed, it all came from her heart.

How had he gotten so lucky?

When she looked up at him, she frowned. She put her hand against his cheek. "What's with the long face?" she asked.

He looked at her for the longest time, this girl he had met nearly three years ago, this girl that in so many ways really did resemble her character Ally: she had always been there for him, had sung mindless melodies over the phone with him during their late night phone conversations, had always been on his mind and in his heart, even when he'd been away on tour.

"I," he said, taking her hands in his own, "am the luckiest guy on the planet to have landed someone as caring, kind, and beautiful as you are." A smile slowly came to her face, and he leaned down to kiss her, the gentlest one he had yet to give her out of all the times he had kissed her so far. He didn't let go of her hand as they walked around the party, mingling with others, not noticing how people smiled at them fondly.

_"I knew they would get together sooner or later."_

_"Oh, how cute. Young love."_

_"They are adorable."_

The air around Ross and Laura seemed to glow as they realized that, in a way, they kinda did have forever. They had a long journey ahead of them, and they were glad that they would be trekking through it... together.

Someone tapped on Ross's shoulder. He turned around, only to face a dark haired guy just a few years older than him.

"Hi," Ross managed to say. The guy was holding hands with another pretty dark haired girl.

"My girlfriend Megan is a huge fan of your guys' show," the stranger said. "I'm Jason."

"Well we're so happy we have older fans," Laura replied. She turned to Megan. "You and your boyfriend are so cute together."

Megan could only manage a smile and a squeak. She was feeling a tad bit star struck at the moment. She was facing Laura. And Ross. Auslly. Raura. Together. She couldn't even _breathe. _

"I'm sorry, she's a little fazed right now," Jason chuckled. "But I just wanted to say thank you. Your show made me realize that I should finally confess to my best friend how I felt about her."

Megan blushed. "Luckily I felt the same way he did," she teased and Jason laughed. His eyes turned to Laura's and Ross's hands intertwined.

"I'm guessing it brought you two together as well?" he asked, smiling and nodding at their hands. Now it was Laura's turn to blush. Her and Megan exchanged a look that only girls could understand.

"Yeah, it did," Ross said, gripping tighter on Laura's hand. The conversation continued for a couple more minutes until Jason and Megan bid their "see you laters" and mingled with the other people at the party.

"See? We're like Cupid!" Ross exclaimed proudly, swinging their hands back and forth.

"I guess we are," Laura agreed. Suddenly a tiny pair of hands wrapped around her waist. Alarmed, she looked down to see a little girl embracing her. "Hello there."

The girl looked up, beaming and smiling. "Hi! I'm May and I love your show!" the little girl shouted happily and then turned around. "Riley, come here! It's Austin and Ally, I mean, Ross and Laura! They're celebitys!"

A little blonde boy ran towards May. "Wow!" he said, staring up at Ross and Laura. "Real celebitys!" Two women ran after the small children.

"Sorry about that," one of the women said. "My daughter just really loves your show. She's obsessed."

"C'mon May, look, they have a chocolate fountain!" Riley exclaimed, grabbing May's hand as they ran off to the buffet table. The two mothers sighed, running after their children. Laura giggled.

"How cute," she sighed.

"Weird. They look like mini versions of us," Ross stated as he watched them dip their hands into the fountains, or at least attempt to before the mothers snatched their children up and away from a chocolatey disaster. What they didn't see was that May's mother bumped into a man, a very handsome man who she would be talking to for the rest of the night... maybe even for the rest of her life. Maybe love had happy endings after all. Maybe love meant second chances, too.

**OoOo**

The sun was setting now, hiding behind the hills in the distance, making waves of pink, orange, and deep red appear in the sky. The DJ was playing slow music now and everyone was on the dance floor, even Claire, Sam, Georgia, and Destiny.

Raini had her arms wrapped around Calum's neck and her head resting against his chest. Before he could stop himself, he pulled away for a quick second:

"I like you."

Raini froze. "You... _like _me, like me?" she asked.

"Yes. And I've been wanting to tell you for the longest time, especially during our date, but I feel like I might have messed up when I didn't kiss you, but that's only because I was so-"

She pressed her lips against his before he could say anymore, and they danced this way for what seemed like an eternity.

Ross had his arms around Laura's waist as they swayed back and forth. She was so small, especially since she wasn't wearing wedges; he couldn't help but smile. Now was the time. He stopped swaying. Laura looked up at him.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked.

"C'mon," he whispered, taking her by the hand and dragging her away from the music, away from the crowd, away from the world. They walked until they reached the shore, the waves slowly swallowing up their feet, then washing back to where they came from.

"Why are we here?" she asked, laughing. The water was freezing, she was pretty sure her toes would get frost bite.

"Because," he said, "I need to ask you something."

Now it was her turn to freeze. She looked up at him as he took her hands in his. "Laura," he began. "I am stupid. Beyond stupid for not doing this sooner, for not doing this from the moment I met you, but..." He took out a necklace, heart shaped and silver. "I promise you that we're worth it."

He turned her around, draping the necklace around her neck. Laura felt her smile wobbling and her eyes welling up with tears. Ross began to panic.

"You don't like it? It's okay, I can get you another one or maybe you'd prefer a bracelet instead-"

"Ross," she interrupted. She went up on her tippy toes to kiss him. "I love it. I..." She had almost said it. Three small words that could change everything. She fiddled with the necklace, noticing an engraving on it. _Girlfriend. _She smiled, courage building up inside of her.

"I love you," she murmured quietly, staring down at her necklace. Ross gaped at her for a moment. He tilted her chin up so that she could face him.

"I love you, too," he replied, smiling. The hug that followed would break all timers... it was a little too long.

**OoOo**

As they walked back to the party, it was as if the world seemed brighter, better, clearer. With her new necklace sitting on her clavicle, she felt like the luckiest girl on Earth. Little did she know that Ross himself was thinking the exact same thing. How had he landed himself such an amazing person? The question was incomprehensible, something he would probably ponder for the rest of his life.

Then they both spotted someone. Two someones, really.

"Hey!" Laura exclaimed, marching up to the pair. "You're the-"

"She's the-" Ross chimed in.

"You're the lady that interviewed us!" they exclaimed simultaneously. Bill and Doris stood before them, all dressed up.

"Indeed, that would be me," she smiled.

Laura folded her arms. "You tricked me."

"Yeah," Ross said, unknowingly mimicking his girlfriend's movements, "you made me look stupid on the Internet!"

"Did I?" she asked. She took a sip of her drink before she continued talking. "You two should be thanking me."

"Thanking you?" they asked in disbelief.

"Ross, did I not get you to realize that you were in love with Laura?" she asked him. Ross felt his face suddenly heat up.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"And Laura, did I not get you to admit that you were in love with Ross?" she asked.

Laura fiddled with her fingers. "I guess, but-"

"And did I not get you two together by making sure fans chased you into the woods so that we could watch you two confess to one another?" she asked.

"That was _you_? _You _sent them after us?" Laura asked. "But why? Who are you, anyway?"

"She is a Cupid interviewer," Bill said, finally speaking up. "Her job is to make celebrities realize they're in love with one another and help them get together."

Doris nodded. "That's right."

"Well..." Ross said. "In that case, I guess we really should be thanking you guys."

"Thank you," Laura said, smiling. "You should be a spy, not an interviewer."

"Oh no," Doris laughed. "I already tried that."

Ross and Laura shot each other looks.

"I'm only joking," Doris said, and the four burst out laughing. Bill put his hand into his pocket just to make sure it was there. When he was certain it was, he took Doris by the hand and turned her around to face him.

"Bill, what are you-"

"Doris, just give me the time of day for once. We're always been busy with our work and making other people fall in love that we never had time to fall in love ourselves." The whole entire party grew quiet. "Doris I've loved you since college. Even when you had to wear that head brace to sleep every night, I loved you even then." He got down on one knee and the entire party gasped. Laura squealed, squeezing Ross's hand. "Will you marry me?"


	11. Chapter 11: The Thing About Hands

Doris stood in front of Bill, her best friend, her partner, who was down on his knees asking the biggest question she would ever have to answer in her life. And then she saw it.

A life. With Bill. A life with three kids, two boys and one girl. A life with a small but comfortable house. A life with tucking the kids into bed after soccer practice and ballet recitals, reading them fairytales to lull them to sleep. A life with him sitting on the porch, growing old, watching the sunset. How had she not seen it before?

"Yes!" she exclaimed, crying and laughing all at once. Bill broke out into a grin, standing and picking up Doris. His heart was bursting with joy. They were going to get married. They were going to spend the rest of their lives together. They were going to have children and make new memories and adventures.

They were going to do this together.

The party had exploded into cheers and laughter, as well as an eruption of thunderous clapping. For once, Calum was holding the camera to document _their _love story. Doris noticed and laughed at the irony of it all. Laura's palms were stinging from clapping so much. Ross simply smiled, glad that everyone's love story had worked out.

"I'm going to propose to you this way someday," he murmured in Laura's ear. She blushed a thousand sunsets.

**OoOo**

_Three months later..._

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the pastor declared, and Bill and Doris smiled, leaning in to one another. The wedding was beautiful. They'd decided to invite not only their relatives, but the cast and crew of Austin & Ally as well. It was because of this show that showed Bill it was never too late to fall in love, or confess that you are, for that matter.

Laura's necklace still hung over her simple white dress as she held hands with Ross, staring at the happy newlywed couple. She stared down at their hands, her's completely engulfed by his large hand. His was slightly tanned while her's was chalk white. And yet, they fit perfectly.

It was hands that cut the cake at the wedding, specifically Doris's and Bill's hands. It was also Doris's hands that smushed cake ever so lovingly into her husband's face.

It was hands that were held as Ross and Laura sat in the backseat on the ride home, Laura's head resting on Ross's shoulder as she fell sound asleep.

Three years later, it was hands that hugged one another good bye as the cast of Austin & Ally finally finished wrapping up their final season seven.

A few months later, it was hands that were used to move the cardboard filled boxes into Ross and Laura's new apartment.

"Remind me why we're moving in together again," Laura teased.

"Because you love me," he replied.

It was hands that flew up to Laura's face as Ross proposed to her two years after they had moved in together, on live TV during an Austin & Ally reunion interview. As Ross slipped the ring onto Laura's finger, he whispered in her ear, "I told you I'd propose to you in some big, dramatic way."

It was hands that shook when Ross ran into Bill at the grocery store one day, waving hello to Bill's four year old daughter, who simply hid behind her father as she did not know who this blonde stranger was.

It was hands that dropped a pregnancy stick one morning as Laura gasped. Ross came running into the bathroom.

"What happened?" he asked. He noticed the pregnancy stick. "Oh, honey, it's okay, we can try again..." His words trailed off as he picked up the stick and actually _read _what it said. His eyes grew large. He looked at Laura, whose face seemed to be mixed into a state of shock and joy.

"I think it's time we see your doctor," he said, and the two hugged one another, bursting into laughter.

It was Raini's hands that rubbed Laura's very pregnant belly about eight months later. "It's Auntie Raini," she whispered to the belly, and Laura couldn't help but laugh. "You think she can hear me?"

Laura smiled. "You think it's a she?"

It was hands that gripped Ross's arm as Laura shouted at her husband all the reasons as to why she hated him while she gave birth to their first child. It was also Ross's hand that began to lose circulation as he managed a weak smile and words of encouragement to his raging wife.

It was hands that held Amy, their very first daughter. Laura held the baby in her arms, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Hi there," she whispered to the newborn, who was sound asleep.

And it was hands that wrapped themselves around Laura's waist as Ross watched his daughter go to school for the very first time. "They grow up so fast," he murmured in his wife's ear.

She chuckled, turning around to peck him on the lips. "When did you get so sentimental?" she asked.

He leaned in for a longer kiss. "Since I married you."

There are so many other things hands have done, like how eventually hands were gripped into tight fists when Amy got into her first fight with her mother, or when hands were intertwined during Amy's first date with a very nice boy, Albie.

The thing about hands are that they have done so much. They have held people together, brought loved ones together, and helped create memories.

The thing about hands are that you will hold hands with so many different people, yet at the end of the day you'll only wish to hold one person's hand because that is the person that matters the most.

The thing about hands are that when Laura held Ross's hand that day when they both had to fake jump off the bridge for an Austin & Ally episode, she had held on tight and never really let go after that.

And she wouldn't change a thing.

* * *

_**Well, guys! It's over! This is the last chapter for **_**The Thing About Austin & Ally**_**! I just wanted to thank you all SO MUCH for the support, each and everyone of you. You were amazing for all the favorites and follows and reviews; words cannot even comprehend as to how much I appreciate all the support. Thanks for being patient with all the chapters. Sorry if the ending was a little rusty or cheesy, I was listening to a cheesy romance song haha!**___

**_Shoutouts to _****_LoveShipper_****_ and _****_Got2LiveItBigTime_****_ for always reviewing and giving great feedback, truly appreciate it! Plus they are amazing writers as well so go check out their fan fic! And special thanks to _****_Analicia_****_ for the suggestion on making a chapter called The Thing About Parties which I gladly took into consideration_****_and ended up doing. _**

**_I can promise you all that there are many more Austin & Ally stories and one shots coming your way so stay tuned! Thank you all again sooo much! I really couldn't have done it without you. :) Oh man... now I'm starting to sound like Austin... Oh well! _**

**_The End. _**

**_Love always,_**

**_Charlene_**


End file.
